Swan nerves

[christinelee]

The reasons I didn't like the Dolphin were:

1. The heating/AC units stunk - the room was either too hot or too cold.
2. The heavenly beds at the Dolphin were doubles, my husband is 6'4" and 230lb. I know the queen beds are only an inch bigger at the Swan, but even to me the beds seemed small.
3. The hallways are disgusting, black stuff on the carpet, dirty walls.
4. Pools being closed for conventioneers, really felt place catered to conventioneers at expense of vacation guests.
5. My reservation was changed from Swan to Dolphin, I wish I had been notified before I arrived, so I could have made arrangements for another place.
6. There are no organized activities for kids like at other resorts, if I had younger children I would definitely stay at a more themed resort.

The reasons I liked it:

1. Location, Location, Location. It was great to go to Boardwalk for dinner everynight. We walked to Epcot and MGM too.
2. I found the Buffeteria and Fountain very nice and food was good.
3. Housekeeping did a great job in room. We left early every day and if we came back at 2pm, room was always clean. At Disney properties sometimes rooms weren't clean until 5pm.

 

[bballmom56]

I, too, have some "Swan nerves", but after researching as much as I could, I am really looking forward to staying there. Our kids are older now (20 and 15) and this will probably be the last time we do the "just the 4 of us" kind of trip. The last time we were at Disney was 11 years ago! We had stayed at the Grand Floridian which was absolutely the best, yet I read negative comments about that. I agree with the one poster who said what bothers some people, doesn't bother others. I was considering CSR first, because I thought we couldn't possibly afford a deluxe. But with the teacher rate, we can do it. I felt the proximity to Epcot was a big plus and from there we can get the monorail to MK. I think our family will love the Boardwalk area (being from Jersey, we do the shore every year). I chose the Swan over Dolphin for its size - we prefer smaller. I even had the opportunity to get into the Contemporary for only a little more than the Swan, but after reading many reviews of the CR (both positive and negative) I felt the Swan was a better fit for my family. We all spend an incredible amount of money for a Disney trip and want it to be as perfect as possible. But things happen and we will roll with it. We all hope we make the right decisions. Everyone on this board has been a tremendous wealth of information and I thank everybody for their contributions!

 

[jgates]

Thank you Christine - hopefully I can help respond to a couple of your items.

1. The heating/AC units stunk - the room was either too hot or too cold. CAN'T HELP TOO MUCH ON THIS ONE - THERE ARE SOLUTIONS OTHER THAN A LIFESIZE SANTA TO CONTROL THE AUTOMATIC SENSORS, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY WERE. I DO BELIEVE THAT MAINTENANCE CAN ACTUALLY SHUT THAT OFF FOR YOU (THE AUTOMATIC) IF I REMEMBER RIGHT. ANYONE VERIFY?

2. The heavenly beds at the Dolphin were doubles, my husband is 6'4" and 230lb. I know the queen beds are only an inch bigger at the Swan, but even to me the beds seemed small. CAN'T HELP YOU THERE - IT WOULD BE A MATTER OF PERSONAL COMFORT. MY 6' DS WAS OK AT SWAN, BUT HE CAN SLEEP ON A ROCK I THINK.

3. The hallways are disgusting, black stuff on the carpet, dirty walls. SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF IN THE RENOVATIONS.

4. Pools being closed for conventioneers, really felt place catered to conventioneers at expense of vacation guests. POOL IS OPEN 24/7 IF YOU WISH TO GO LATER ON AFTER THE 'CONVENTIONEERS' TIME IS OVER, BUT IF YOU HAVE KIDS THAT MIGHT NOT BE AN OPTION.

5. My reservation was changed from Swan to Dolphin, I wish I had been notified before I arrived, so I could have made arrangements for another place. THAT WOULD NOT MAKE ME HAPPY. I DO NOT LIKE ANY 'SURPRISES' WHEN I HAVE THINGS PLANNED OUT. NO SOLUTION FOR YOU AT ALL.

6. There are no organized activities for kids like at other resorts, if I had younger children I would definitely stay at a more themed resort. VERY VALID POINT ALTHOUGH THEY DO HAVE A KID CARE CENTER AT THE DOLPHIN (?). I JUST EXPECTED MY DD TO DO ALL THE 'PARK' STUFF SO I DIDN'T LOOK FOR THAT.